Elina Svitolina has reached the WTA Finals final for the third time in her career. The No. 6 seed from Ukraine defeated No. 8 seed Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinal in Indian Wells.
The match lasted 64 minutes according to the match statistics, while the WTA recorded it as 65 minutes. Svitolina won 12 of the last 14 games after Noskova opened with a break in the very first game.
Svitolina took control from the start
Noskova immediately got the break back, but hit three double faults in her next service game and lost her serve again. From that point on, the Ukrainian dictated the rallies and did not allow her opponent to get back into the match.
Svitolina converted five break points and finished with 20 winners against 18 unforced errors. Noskova won just 23 percent of her second-serve points and committed a total of 11 double faults.
“She played very well. All credit goes to her. Tomorrow I will have to do my homework, execute better and find the keys to the match,” Svitolina told reporters after the victory.
Another match against Andreeva awaits
In the final, Svitolina will face Mirra Andreeva, who earlier defeated Jessica Pegula. The two have already played in the group stage, when Andreeva won 6-4, 6-0.
“That is the beauty of the WTA Finals – even if you lose your first match, you are still not eliminated,” Svitolina said after her comeback against Aryna Sabalenka, which secured her place in the semifinals.
For Svitolina, this is her first final at the WTA Finals since 2019. She won the event in 2018 in Singapore, and will now attempt to claim her second title. The final is scheduled for Sunday in Indian Wells.
Sources: wtatennis.com, sofascore.com, tennisnow.com